Welcome to KidsMatter

KidsMatter Early Childhood is a national early childhood mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative specifically developed for early childhood services, including preschools and long day care. It involves the people who have a significant influence on young children’s lives – parents, carers, families and early childhood professionals, along with a range of community and health professionals – in making a positive difference to young children’s mental health and wellbeing during this important developmental period.

Component 1: Creating a sense of community

Component 1 focuses on services building a sense of community which promotes feelings of belonging and connectedness for all children, families and staff. This has been shown to have a positive effect on children’s mental health. It emphasises the importance of inclusion, positive relationships and collaboration towards building a sense of community for all involved in the service.

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Component 2: Developing children’s social and emotional skills

Social and emotional development involves developing the ability to recognise and manage emotions, show care and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations effectively.

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Component 3: Working with parents and Carers

The family is central to children’s mental health. Researchers have identified a range of family related risk and protective factors that influence children’s mental health. By working together with parents and carers, providing information and support, and helping families to develop support networks, early childhood services can make a significant difference to the mental health of children.

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Component 4: Helping children who are experiencing mental health difficulties

The early childhood years have been highlighted as a critical period when children are developing significant social, emotional and cognitive skills. When children experience mental health difficulties it can impact many areas of their lives, which emphasises the importance of intervening early.

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Looking for help or assistance?

Knowing where to start will make it easier.

We have put together a growing list of professional services and resources to assist you in helping your child.
Have a look at the information.

Looking for resources?

We have everything in one place.

You'll find a list of useful resources including program guides, information packs for staff and parents and more. Have a look at the information.

Resources for families and staff

14
Dec

Component 2 resources for families and staff are now available. Resources for the other components will be available soon. These can be found... Continue reading this article

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